Method and apparatus for beverage extraction with improved gas cylinder access

ABSTRACT

Devices and methods for extracting a beverage from a container, such as a wine bottle. Beverage can be extracted from a container by inserting a needle through a container closure, such as a cork, delivering pressurized gas into the container via the needle, and dispensing beverage from the container via the needle. A pressure regulator may control a pressure of gas introduced into the container, and a lance used to pierce a pressurized gas cylinder may include a leading face arranged to reliably pierce a cylinder closure. The regulator may include valve features to reduce valve chatter or hammering and provide a more reliable pressure seal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.61/835,114, filed Jun. 14, 2013, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to accessing pressurized gas cylinders.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One or more embodiments in accordance with aspects of the inventionallow a user to withdraw or otherwise extract a beverage, such as wine,from within a container that is sealed by a cork, plug, elastomericseptum or other closure without removing the closure. In some cases,removal of liquid from such a container may be performed one or moretimes, yet the closure may remain in place during and after eachbeverage extraction to maintain a seal for the container. Thus, thebeverage may be dispensed from the bottle multiple times and stored forextended periods between each extraction with little or no effect onbeverage quality. In some embodiments, little or no gas, such as air,which is reactive with the beverage may be introduced into the containereither during or after extraction of beverage from within the container.Thus, in some embodiments, a user may withdraw wine from a wine bottlewithout removal of, or damage to, the cork, and without allowing air orother potentially damaging gasses or liquids entry into the bottle.However, not all embodiments require the ability to remove an extractiondevice from a cork or other closure such that the closure reseals thebottle.

Other aspects of the invention are described below and relate to methodsand apparatus for piercing a gas cylinder, and regulating a pressure ofgas provided from a gas cylinder.

For example, in one aspect of the invention, a piercing lance forpiercing pressurized gas cylinders includes a body having a frontpiercing end, a rear end opposite the front piercing end, and a fluidpassageway extending between the front piercing end and the rear end.The front piercing end may include a tapered portion having an openingat a distal end of the tapered portion and a longitudinal axis. Thetapered portion may have a first surface partially defining the openingat the distal end that is arranged in a plane perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis and a second surface partially defining the opening atthe distal end that is arranged in a plane transverse and notperpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Such an arrangement in which theleading face of the piercing lance includes two surfaces at an angle toeach other, e.g., of 20-35 degrees, may help in reliably piercing gascylinders, including cylinders that have a metal closure. A firstsurface may cut an opening in the closure, while the second surface mayaid in bending the cut portion of the closure away from the opening. Asa result, the cut portion of the closure may remain attached to thecylinder and be prevented from covering the opening of the lance. Insome embodiments, the second surface may be arranged in a plane that isat an angle of 55-70 degrees to the longitudinal axis. A line extendingalong an area where the first and second surfaces meet may pass throughthe opening, e.g., as a chord that may or may not pass through a centerof the opening. The tapered portion may have an outer surface arrangedat an angle of 10-30 degrees to the longitudinal axis, and may include avent channel that extends from the first or second surface to a proximalend of the tapered portion. Such a vent channel may help vent acartridge that is prematurely removed from the lance and/or help keep acut portion of a cylinder closure attached to the cylinder. Agasket-contacting portion of the body may be located proximal of thetapered portion and be arranged to contact a gasket positioned betweenthe lance and a gas cylinder and create a gas-tight seal between thegasket and the lance. In one embodiment, the gasket-contacting portionmay include an annular surface arranged in a plane perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis and/or a cylindrical surface that extends around thelongitudinal axis. The rear end of the body may include a gasketarranged to form a seal with a bore in which the rear end of the body ispositioned, e.g., a bore of a pressure regulator that receives thelance.

In another aspect of the invention, a fluid pressure regulator includesa first stage valve arranged to open and close a fluid flow path tocontrol flow of fluid through the valve. The first stage valve mayinclude a first valve body defining a valve chamber having an outletopening and an inlet opening, a first valve gasket arranged in the valvechamber at the outlet opening, a first valve ball movable in the valvechamber to contact the first valve gasket and close the outlet opening,and a gasket retainer in the valve chamber and stationary relative tothe first valve body arranged to hold the first valve gasket at theoutlet opening. A first stage piston may be arranged for movement tomove the first valve ball relative to the outlet opening and therebyopen and close the first stage valve, and a regulator body may define apiston chamber in which the first stage piston is movable and may housethe valve chamber. In one embodiment, the gasket retainer may include acylindrical shell portion and an inwardly extending flange at a gasketend of the retainer arranged to contact the first valve gasket. Theflange may have an annular shape and taper inwardly from the cylindricalshell portion. The first valve gasket may be arranged to deform withcontact with the first valve ball, and the gasket retainer may bearranged in the valve chamber to restrict movement of the gasket due todeformation of the gasket. For example, the gasket retainer may bearranged to restrict movement of the gasket so that the gasket preventscontact of the first valve ball with the first valve body near theoutlet opening. This arrangement may help prevent contact of a metalvalve ball with a metal valve body, thereby reducing wear.

In one embodiment, the valve piston includes a depressor to contact andmove the valve ball to open/close the valve, and the depressor may havea rigid, convex contact surface arranged to contact the first valveball. This arrangement may help prevent the valve ball from following asame track during opening and closing movement, thus more evenly wearingthe valve ball, gasket and/or depressor and/or allowing the valve toopen and close to regulate pressure with reduced chattering or hammeringof the valve ball.

In another aspect of the invention, a fluid pressure regulator includesa first stage valve arranged to open and close a fluid flow path tocontrol flow of fluid through the valve. The first stage valve mayinclude a first valve body defining a valve chamber having an outletopening and an inlet opening, a first valve gasket arranged in the valvechamber at the outlet opening, and a first valve ball movable in thevalve chamber to contact the first valve gasket and close the outletopening. A first stage piston may be arranged for movement to move thefirst valve ball relative to the outlet opening and thereby open andclose the first stage valve. A molded plastic regulator body may definea piston chamber in which the first stage piston is movable and housethe valve chamber, and the first valve body may be a metal componentpositioned in a cavity of the molded plastic regulator body. Forexample, the valve body may include a metal cylinder that is co-moldedwith the regulator body. This arrangement may allow the regulator tosuitably withstand relatively high pressures, e.g., 1000, 2000, 3000 psior more, while employing a plastic regulator body. That is, only thatportion of the regulator that is exposed to high pressure, e.g., thevalve chamber, need be made of metal or other suitable material towithstand the high pressure while other portions of the regulator aremade to withstand lower pressures, e.g., 30-100 psi.

Various exemplary embodiments of the device are further depicted anddescribed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention are described with reference to variousembodiments, and to the figures, which include:

FIG. 1 shows a sectional side view of a beverage extraction device inpreparation for introducing a needle through a closure of a beveragecontainer;

FIG. 2 shows the FIG. 1 embodiment with the needle passed through theclosure;

FIG. 3 shows the FIG. 1 embodiment while introducing gas into thecontainer;

FIG. 4 shows the FIG. 1 embodiment while dispensing beverage from thecontainer;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a beverage extraction device having a clamparrangement for supporting the device in an upright orientation in anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows a front perspective view of the FIG. 5 embodiment;

FIG. 7 shows a front view of the FIG. 5 embodiment; and

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a gas pressure regulator in anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of another gas pressure regulator inan embodiment having a lance portion received into a valve body;

FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of the FIG. 9 embodiment;

FIG. 11 shows a close up view of a valve arrangement in the FIG. 9embodiment with a gasket in an undeformed state;

FIG. 12 shows a close up view of a valve arrangement in the FIG. 9embodiment with a gasket in a deformed state;

FIG. 13 shows an exploded, cross sectional view of a lance employed inthe FIG. 9 embodiment;

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 13 lance;

FIG. 15 shows the lance of FIG. 13 in an initial stage of piercing a gascylinder closure; and

FIG. 16 shows the lance of FIG. 13 in a later stage of piercing the gascylinder closure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are described below with reference toillustrative embodiments, but it should be understood that aspects ofthe invention are not to be construed narrowly in view of the specificembodiments described. Thus, aspects of the invention are not limited tothe embodiments described herein. It should also be understood thatvarious aspects of the invention may be used alone and/or in anysuitable combination with each other, and thus various embodimentsshould not be interpreted as requiring any particular combination orcombinations of features. Instead, one or more features of theembodiments described may be combined with any other suitable featuresof other embodiments.

FIGS. 1-4 show schematic views of one embodiment of a beverageextraction device 1 that may incorporate one or more aspects of theinvention. This illustrative system 1 includes a body 3 with an attachedpressurized source of gas 100 (such as a compressed gas cylinder) thatprovides gas under pressure (e.g., 2600 psi or less as dispensed fromthe cylinder) to a regulator 600. In this arrangement, the cylinder 100is secured to the body 3 and regulator 600 by a threaded connection,although other configurations are possible, such as those describedbelow and/or in U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,209; U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,395; andU.S. Pat. No. 5,163,909 which are hereby incorporated by reference withrespect to their teachings regarding mechanisms for engaging a gascylinder with a cylinder receiver. The regulator 600 is shownschematically and without detail in FIGS. 1-4, but specific embodimentsare described below and/or could include any of a variety ofcommercially available or other single or multi-stage pressureregulators capable of regulating gas pressures to a pre-set or variableoutlet pressure. The main function of the regulator 600 is to providegas at a pressure and flow rate suitable for delivery to the container700 (such as a wine bottle), e.g., so that a pressure established insidethe container 700 does not exceed a desired level, such as a level thatensures the closure 730 will not be expelled.

In this embodiment, the body 3 also includes a valve 300 operable tocontrol the flow of gas from the regulator 600. The valve 300 may be a3-way toggle valve that includes a single operation button and functionsto selectively introduce pressurized gas into the container 700 andextract beverage 710 (such as wine) from the container 700 via a needle200. Details regarding the operation of such a valve 300 are provided inU.S. Pat. No. 8,225,959, which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety. However, other valve arrangements for controlling pressurizedgas and beverage flow are possible, including those described below andwhich incorporate aspects of the invention.

To introduce gas into the container 700 and extract beverage, a needle200 attached to the body 3 is inserted through a cork or other closure730 that seals an opening of the container 700. This illustrative system1 uses a pencil-tip non-coring needle 200 with a needle opening 220along a sidewall of the needle near the needle tip. While the needle 200may be inserted into the cork or other closure 730 in different ways, inthis embodiment, the system 1 includes a base 2 with a pair of channels21 that receive and guide movement of respective rails 31 of the body 3.Thus, movement of the body 3 and attached needle 200 relative to thecontainer closure 730 may be guided by the base 2, e.g., the body 3 mayslide relative to the base 2 to move the needle 200 into/out of theclosure 730. In addition, movement of the needle 200 may be guided by aneedle guide 202 that is attached to the base 2 and positioned over theclosure 730. Other arrangements for guiding movement of the body 3relative to the base 2 are possible, such as providing one or more railson the base 2 which engage with a channel or other receiver of the body3, providing an elongated slot, channel or groove on the body or basewhich engages with a corresponding feature (e.g., a tab) on the other ofthe body or base and allows for sliding movement, a linkage thatconnects the body and base together and allows for movement of the bodyto insert the needle into the closure, and others. In yet otherembodiments, the body 3 need not be movable relative to the base 2, butmay be fixed to each other. In this case, needle insertion may beperformed by moving the body and base together relative to thecontainer.

In some embodiments, the base 2 may be fixed or otherwise held in placerelative to the container 700, e.g., by a clamp, sleeve, strap or otherdevice that engages with the container 700. Clamp arrangements may beused to temporarily or releasably secure the device 1 to a wine bottleneck or other container 700. By restraining movement of the base 2relative to the container 700, such an arrangement may help guide motionof a needle 200 relative to the container 700 when penetrating a closure730, or when being withdrawn from the closure 730. Alternately, thecontainer 700 may be manipulated by grasping and manipulating the device1 since the clamp engaging the device 1 to the container 700 maysecurely hold the device 1 and container 700 together.

To insert the needle 200 through the closure 730, a user may pushdownwardly on the body 3 while maintaining the base 2 and the container700 at least somewhat stationary relative to each other. The needle 200will pass through the closure 730, guided in its motion, at least inpart, by the guided motion of the body 3 relative to the base 2 (e.g.,by the rails 31 and channels 21). With the needle 200 suitably insertedas shown in FIG. 2, a needle opening 220 at the needle tip may bepositioned below the closure 730 and within the enclosed space of thecontainer 700. The container 700 may then be tilted, e.g., so that thebeverage 710 flows to near the closure 730 and any air or other gas 720in the container 700 flows away from the closure. Pressurized gas 120may then be introduced into the container 700 by actuating the valve 300and causing gas from the cylinder 100 to flow through the valve 300 andneedle 200 to exit at the needle opening 220, as shown in FIG. 3.Thereafter, the valve 300 may be operated to stop the flow ofpressurized gas and allow beverage 710 to flow into the needle opening220 and through the needle 200 to be dispensed from the valve 300, asshown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 5-7 show another illustrative embodiment of a beverage extractiondevice 1 that may incorporate aspects of the invention. This embodimentis similar in operation to that of FIGS. 1-4, but has a few differentfeatures including a valve for controlling gas and beverage flow. Inthis embodiment, the body 3 includes a handle 33, that may be gripped bya user for moving the body 3 relative to the base 2 in upward anddownward motions to insert a needle 200 through a cork or other closureof a container 700. Also, a lever 32 is provided for operating the valve8, e.g., to dispense beverage from an outlet 301 and/or deliver gas tothe container 700 via the needle 200. To allow movement of the body 3relative to the base 2, the body 3 includes a rail 31 that has T-shapedcross section, and is arranged to move within a T-shaped receiving slotor channel 21 of the base 2. As discussed above, however, otherarrangements are possible for engaging the body 3 and base 2 whileallowing for movement of the needle 200. Also, a gas cylinder cover 101threadedly engages with the body 3 at the regulator 600 to engage andhold the cylinder 100 in place relative to the body 3. (A gas cylindercover 101 in this embodiment is a kind of cap that covers the gascylinder 100 and threadedly engages with another part of the body 3 tohold the gas cylinder 100 in place.) This arrangement of a gas cylindercover 101 allows for the use of gas cylinders 100 that do not threadedlyengage with the regulator 600, but rather are held in engagement withthe regulator 600 by the cover 101.

Also included in this embodiment is a clamp 4 having a pair of clamparms 41 that are arranged to support the device 1 in an uprightorientation on a flat, horizontal surface 102, such as a table orcounter top. In this embodiment, a lowermost portion of the clamp arms41 contacts the surface 102 along with a lowermost portion of the body3, which in this example is a lower end of gas cylinder cover 101. Thus,the clamp arms 41 and cover 101 may provide three points of contact withthe surface 102, although additional points of contact may be provided.Also, the cover 101 need not contact the surface 102, and instead otherportions of the body 3 or the base 2 may contact the surface 102 tosupport the device 1 in an upright orientation. In another arrangement,the clamp arms 41 alone may contact the surface 102 and support thedevice 1. For example, the clamp arms 41 may include “feet” or otherstructure that contacts the surface 102 to suitably support the device 1without assistance from other parts of the device 1.

It has been found that needles having a smooth walled exterior, pencilpoint or Huber point needle of 16 gauge or higher are effective topenetrate through a wine bottle cork or other closure, while sealingeffectively with the cork to prevent the ingress or egress of gases orfluids during beverage extraction. Moreover, such needles allow the corkto reseal after withdrawal of the needle, allowing the container and anyremaining beverage to be stored for months or years without abnormalalteration of the beverage flavor. Further, such needles may be used topenetrate a foil cover or other wrapping commonly found on wine bottlesand other containers. Thus, the needle may penetrate the foil cover orother element as well as the closure, eliminating any need to remove thefoil or other wrapping prior to beverage extraction. Other needleprofiles and gauges are also usable with the system.

A needle used in a beverage extraction device may be a smooth exteriorwalled, cylindrical needle with a non-coring tip that can be passedthrough a cork without removing material from the cork. One non-coringtip is a pencil-tip that dilates a passageway through the cork, althoughdeflected-tip and stylet needles have also been found to work properlyand could be used in alternative embodiments. The pencil-tip needlepreferably has at least one lumen extending along its length from atleast one inlet on the end opposite the pencil-tip and at least oneoutlet proximal to the pencil-tip. As shown above, a needle outlet maybe positioned in the side-wall of the needle at the distal end of theneedle, although proximal of the extreme needle tip.

With the correct needle gauge, it has been found that a passageway (ifany) that remains following removal of the needle from a cork self-sealsagainst egress or ingress of fluids and/or gasses under normal storageconditions. Thus, a needle may be inserted through a closure to extractbeverage, and then be removed, allowing the closure to reseal such thatbeverage and gas passage through the closure is prevented. Whilemultiple needle gauges can work, preferred needle gauges range from 16to 22 gauge, with an optimal needle gauge in some embodiments beingbetween 17 and 20 gauge. These needles gauges may offer optimal fluidflow with minimal pressures inside the container while doing anacceptably low level of damage to the cork even after repeatedinsertions and extractions.

Multiple needle lengths can be adapted to work properly in variousembodiments, but it has been found that a minimum needle length of about1.5 inches is generally required to pass through standard wine bottlecorks. Needles as long as 9 inches could be employed, but the optimalrange of length for some embodiments has been found to be between 2 and2.6 inches. The needle may be fluidly connected to the valve directlythrough any standard fitting (e.g. NPT, RPT, Leur, quick-connect orstandard thread), via a custom fitting or thread arrangement, oralternatively may be connected to the valve through an interveningelement such as a flexible or rigid tube. When two or more needles areused, the needle lengths may be the same or different and vary from 0.25inches to 10 inches. Creating distance between the inlet/outlets of theneedles can prevent the formation of bubbles.

In some embodiments, a suitable gas pressure is introduced into acontainer to extract beverage from the container. For example, with somewine bottles, it has been found that a maximum pressure of betweenaround 40 and 50 psi may be introduced into the bottle without riskingleakage at, or ejection of, the cork, although pressures of betweenaround 15 and 30 psi have been found to work well. These pressures arewell tolerated by even the weakest of cork-to-bottle seals at the bottleopening without causing cork dislodging or passage of liquid or gas bythe cork, and provide for relatively fast beverage extraction. The lowerpressure limit in the container during wine extraction for someembodiments has been found to be between about 0 and 20 psi. That is, apressure between about 0 and 20 psi has been found needed in a bottle toprovide a suitably fast extraction of beverage from the bottle. In oneexample using a single 17 to 20 gauge needle, a pressure of 30 psi wasused to establish an initial pressure in a wine bottle, and rapid wineextraction was experienced even as the internal pressure dropped toabout 15-20 psi.

The source of pressurized gas can be any of a variety of regulated orunregulated pressurized gas containers filled with any of a variety ofnon-reactive gasses. In a preferred embodiment, the gas cylindercontains gas at an initial pressure of about 2000-3000 psi. Thispressure has been found to allow the use of a single relatively smallcompressed gas cylinder (e.g., about 3 inches in length and 0.75 inchesin diameter) for the complete extraction of the contents of severalbottles of wine. Multiple gasses have been tested successfully overextended storage periods, and preferably the gas used is non-reactivewith the beverage within the container, such as wine, and can serve toprotect the beverage oxidation or other damage. Suitable gases includenitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, neon and others. Mixtures ofgas are also possible. For example, a mixture of argon and anotherlighter gas could blanket wine or other beverage in argon while thelighter gas could occupy volume within the bottle and perhaps reduce theoverall cost of the gas.

The embodiment above, a single needle with a single lumen is used tointroduce gas into the container and extract beverage from thecontainer. However, in other embodiments two or more needles may beused, e.g., one needle for gas delivery and one needle for beverageextraction. In such an embodiment, the valve may operate tosimultaneously open a flow of gas to the container and open a flow ofbeverage from the container. The needles may have the same or differentdiameters or the same or different length varying from 0.25 to 10inches. For example, one needle delivering gas could be longer thananother that extracts wine from the bottle.

Alternately, a two lumen needle may be employed where gas travels in onelumen and beverage travels in the other. Each lumen could have aseparate entrance and exit, and the exits could be spaced from eachother within the bottle to prevent circulation of gas.

As noted above, some aspects of the invention relate to features of apressure regulator, e.g., for use in a beverage extraction device,and/or features of a lance for piercing a gas cylinder. FIG. 8illustrates a cross sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of apressure regulator 600 that incorporates one or more aspects of theinvention and may be used with the beverage extraction devices describedabove. Although embodiments described herein are used with a pressurizedcartridge (not shown) containing CO2 gas, other pressurized gases orfluids may be harnessed out of compressed gas cartridges such asnitrogen or oxygen. The pressure regulator includes a first stage 10that operates to reduce the pressure from a cylinder 100 (which may beapproximately 2600-3000 psi or more, or less) which is received at areceiver opening 24 and pierced by a lance 25 to cause the release ofgas from the cylinder. The first stage 10 may reduce the pressure of gasreceived from the cylinder 100 to a first level, e.g., in a range of30-60 psi, while an optional second stage (not shown) may reduce thepressure of gas received from the first stage 10 to a yet lower level,e.g., in a range of 15-30 psi. (A second stage may be arranged in thesame basic way as the first stage 10 and have its valve chamber inletopening fluidly connected to the gas outlet 62 of the first stage 10.)The lance 25 may be is press-fit into (or otherwise engaged with) anopening of the first stage regulator body 4, and may employ hollowand/or solid piercing lance designs. A seal between the lance 25 and thecylinder 100 may be formed using a gasket (such as an o-ring 41) that ispositioned between the lance 25 and the cylinder (not shown) when thelance 25 is used to pierce the cylinder. To engage the cylinder at thereceiver opening 24, the cylinder may be held in a cup (e.g., such asthe cover 101 in FIG. 5) that engages with a thread 42 at the bottom ofthe regulator body 4 around the receiver opening 24 so that threadingthe cup onto the regulator body 4 pushes the neck of the cylinder intothe receiver opening 24, causing the lance 25 to pierce the cylinder anda seal to be formed, e.g., by the o-ring 41, to prevent leakage of gas.U.S. Pat. No. 7,334,598 describes a cup arrangement used to engage acylinder at a receiver opening 24.

With a cylinder received at the receiver opening 24 and pierced by thelance 25, a valve chamber 5 of the first stage regulator 10 receivesrelatively high pressure gas from the cylinder via a passageway throughthe lance 25. Flow of gas from the valve chamber 5 (through an outletopening 13) is controlled by a valve assembly 20 that includes a spring30 which urges a valve ball 16 upwardly into contact with a valve gasket11, e.g., a resilient o-ring. Suitable contact of the valve ball 16 withthe gasket 11 prevents the flow of gas from the valve chamber 5 throughthe outlet opening 13 while movement of the valve ball 16 away from theoutlet opening 13 allows for flow from the valve chamber 5. Thus,movement of the ball 16 relative to (i.e., toward and away from) thegasket 11 and the outlet opening 13 can control the flow of gas from thevalve chamber 5.

Movement of the valve ball 16 is controlled by a depressor 12, which isattached to a piston 14 arranged for movement in a piston bore 26 of theregulator body 4. A piston spring 17 urges the piston 14 to movedownwardly in the bore 26 (and thus moves the depressor 12 and ball 16downwardly), while gas pressure at an inner, bottom surface of thepiston 14 (provided by gas emitted from the valve chamber 5 through theoutlet opening 13) urges the piston 14 to move upwardly and thus movesthe depressor 12 upwardly, allowing the spring 30 to move the ball 16upwardly. A piston seal 15 is arranged to engage with a stepped surfaceof the piston 14 and with a tapered, stepped or other sealing surface ofthe piston bore 26 to control the flow of gas from an inner side of thepiston 14 to outside the piston (e.g., to a space where the pistonspring 17 is located). Gas in the area outside of the piston 14 isvented from the body 4 by a vent, e.g., a hole, groove or other feature27 in the regulator body 4.

Thus, when the piston 14 is moved downwardly by the piston spring 17,flow from inside of the piston 14 is stopped by the piston seal 15although flow from the valve chamber 5 is permitted, and when the piston14 is moved upwardly, flow from inside the piston 14 past the pistonseal 15 is permitted but flow from the valve chamber 5 is stopped. Aswill be understood by those of skill in the art, movement of the piston14, and the corresponding movement of the depressor 12 and valve ball 16as influenced by the piston spring 17 and the spring 30, respectively,will provide a pressure-regulated flow of gas from the valve chamber 5.Generally speaking, a compressive force on the piston spring 17 (and/ora spring constant of the spring 17) will define the pressure of gasreleased by the valve assembly 20. The spring 17 is retained in thepiston bore 26 by a cap 58 which threadedly engages with the body 4 andmay be adjusted in position to adjust a preload or compression force onthe spring 17 to adjust a pressure of gas emitted by the first stage 10.The regulator body 4 and/or the cap 58 may include a hole or otheropening to allow any gas pressure on the outer side of the piston 14 tovent.

Pressure-regulated gas flow is output from the first stage 10 via anexit conduit 62 which taps off of the top of the piston 14. The exitconduit 62 could be connected to a hose, a threaded fitting or othercomponent which delivers the pressure-regulated gas for use, such as toa valve 300 in the device of FIGS. 1-7, for inflating a tire, drivingliquid from a beverage container, or other pneumatic or hydraulic devicethat uses a regulated, substantially constant working pressure gas.Alternately, a pressure-regulated supply of gas may be provided by theexit conduit 62 to a second stage pressure regulator, e.g., that isarranged like the first stage regulator 10 and has its valve chamber 5fluidly connected to the exit conduit 62.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a valve body thatdefines a valve chamber in a pressure regulator may be a metal componentthat is positioned in a cavity of a molded plastic regulator body. Forexample, in one embodiment, the valve body may be co-molded with theregulator body. Such an arrangement may allow the regulator body to bemade of relatively light and less robust material, such as a plasticmaterial, while still enabling the regulator to handle relatively highpressures, such as 1000, 2000, 3000 psi or more. That is, since only thevalve chamber of the regulator may be exposed to relatively highpressures received from a gas cylinder or other source, only the valvebody that defines the valve chamber need be made to withstand relativelyhigh pressures. Components downstream of the valve body are not exposedto such high pressures, e.g., because the regulator may controlopening/closing of the regulator valve so that pressures downstream ofthe valve may be maintained below a desired threshold, e.g., below 50,60 100 psi or less. As a result, components downstream of the valvechamber may be required to withstand much lower pressures, e.g., below100 psi.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which the valve assembly 20 includes avalve body 50 that defines the first valve chamber 5. The valve body 50is formed as a generally cylindrical element with a radially inwardlyextending annular end wall that defines the outlet opening 13, and aradially outwardly extending flange at the inlet opening 51 of the valvechamber 5. The annular end wall may provide a seal engaging surface toengage with the gasket 11 and form a seal to help resist leakage of gasfrom the valve chamber 5 when the valve ball 16 is engaged with thegasket 11. In this embodiment, the inner surface of the annular end wallof the valve body 50 has a curved shape that at least partiallyapproximates a shape of the gasket 11, e.g., a partial toroidal shellshape arranged to work with an o-ring gasket 11, but may have anysuitable shape. Also, the size of the outlet opening 13 may be arrangedin relation to the size of the depressor 12 to help resist movement ofthe gasket 11 through the outlet opening 13. For example, the depressor12 may have a size and shape that is similar to the outlet opening 13,thus helping prevent movement of the gasket 11 through the opening 13.The valve body 50 in this embodiment includes a flange at the inletopening 51 end to help maintain a position of the body 50 in a cavity ofthe regulator body 4, but such a flange or other feature is notrequired. The thickness of the valve body 50 may be any suitable value,and may be arranged to withstand the expected pressures, such as 2000psi or more.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a gasket retainermay be provided in the valve chamber to help hold the valve gasket atthe outlet opening. In one arrangement, the gasket retainer may beformed as part of the valve body, or may be provided by a separateelement positioned in the valve chamber. FIGS. 9 and 10 show anillustrative embodiment of a pressure regulator 600 that is arrangedsimilar to that in FIG. 8, but in this embodiment a gasket retainer 52is provided in the valve chamber 5. While the gasket retainer 52 isarranged as a separate element from the valve body 50, the gasketretainer 52 could be formed as part of the valve body 50, e.g., as aninwardly extending flange, wall, protrusion or other element attached tothe inner wall of the body 50. In this embodiment, the gasket retainer52 includes a cylindrical shell portion and an inwardly extending flangeat a gasket end of the retainer 52 arranged to contact and hold thevalve gasket 11 near the outlet opening 13. The gasket retainer 52 ismaintained relatively stationary in position in the valve chamberrelative to the first valve body 50, but in some embodiments may bepermitted to move to some extent. While the gasket retainer 52 could beheld in place in different ways, in this embodiment the gasket retainer52 contacts a portion of the lance 25 which is received into the inletopening 51 of the valve body 50. That is, an end of the gasket retainer52 near the inlet opening 51 contacts a portion of the lance 25 in thevalve body 50 so that the flange of the gasket retainer 52 is held inplace relative to the outlet opening 13. Of course, other arrangementsare possible, such as welding, adhering or otherwise fixing the gasketretainer 52 in place relative to the valve body 50.

Assembly of the gasket retainer 52 in the valve body 50 is shown in FIG.10. As noted above, the valve body 50 may be molded into the regulatorbody 4 or otherwise positioned in a cavity of the regulator body 4 sothat the inlet opening 51 of the valve body 50 is exposed at thereceiver opening 24. The gasket 11 may be inserted into the valvechamber 5 through the inlet opening 51, followed by the gasket retainer52, the valve ball 16, the valve spring 30 and the lance 25. As can beseen in FIG. 10, the lance has a rear end that is sized and configuredto fit into the inlet opening 51 of the valve body 50 and form agas-tight seal with the valve body 50. In this embodiment, the lance 25includes an o-ring gasket received in a groove of the rear end of thelance 25 to form a seal with the valve body 50, although otherarrangements are possible, such as a sealant, welding, adhesive, athreaded connection, a compression fitting, etc. As can also be seen inFIG. 10, the gasket retainer 52 in this embodiment includes two or morelegs that extend toward and contact the lance 25 to position the gasketretainer 52 in the valve chamber 5. Such legs are optional, however, andneed not be provided.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate how the gasket retainer 52 functions in someembodiments to restrict movement of the gasket 11 as the gasket isdeformed with contact of the valve ball 16. In this embodiment, thegasket retainer 52 has a flange at the outlet opening end with anannular shape that tapers inwardly from the cylindrical shell portion.Other arrangements are possible for the gasket-contacting portion of thegasket retainer 52, such as multiple inwardly extending fingers, aflange that is perpendicular to the valve body 50 inner wall, or otherarrangements. FIG. 11 shows the valve ball 16 in a closed position inwhich the outlet opening 13 is sealed closed by contact of the valveball 16 with the gasket 11 and by contact of the gasket 11 with thevalve body 50 at the outlet opening 13. However, FIG. 11 illustratesgenerally how the gasket 11 would move if unrestrained by the valve body50 and the gasket retainer 52. FIG. 12, in contrast, shows the valveball 16 in the closed position but with the gasket 11 in its deformedstate and restrained by the valve body 50 and the gasket retainer 52. Ascan be seen, the gasket 11 is resilient and generally conforms to theshape of the valve body 50 and the retainer 52 when pressed by the valveball 16. Though not shown, in the absence of the retainer 52, the gasket11 would tend to deform in a direction away from the outlet opening 13and into a space between the valve ball 16 and the valve body 50.However, the gasket retainer 52 prevents this movement, and as a result,the contact force between the gasket 11 and the valve ball 16 iseffectively increased. In some embodiments, the valve gasket 11 and thegasket retainer 52 are arranged to prevent contact of the valve ball 16with the valve body 50 near the outlet opening 13. For example, thevalve body 50 in this embodiment curves inwardly at the outlet opening13 so that the valve body extends somewhat inwardly into the valvechamber 5 at the outlet opening 13 to a valve seat 19. While in somecases the valve ball 16 may be permitted to contact the valve body 50 atthe valve seat 19, in this embodiment, the gasket 11 and the gasketretainer 52 are arranged so that the valve ball 16 cannot contact thevalve body 50 at the valve seat 19. Instead, the gasket 11 prevents thevalve ball 16 from moving into contact with the valve body 50, e.g.,because deformation of the gasket 11 is limited by the gasket retainer52 and the valve body 50 such that the gasket 11 effectively becomes arigid body before the valve ball 16 contacts the valve seat 19. Bypreventing contact of the valve ball 16 with the valve body 50 at thevalve seat 19, damage to the ball 16 and/or body 50 can be resisted,e.g., due to contact of the two relatively hard metal elements, whichmay be made of stainless steel or other suitable material, with eachother. Moreover, noise associated with the contact as the valve closesmay be reduced or eliminated.

In some embodiments, a gap between the gasket retainer 52 and the valveball 16 and/or a gap between the valve seat 19 and the valve ball 16with the ball 16 at the closed position in FIG. 12 may be suitably sized(i.e., suitably small) to help prevent the gasket 11 from deforming(e.g., extruding) into the respective gap. This can help prevent damageto the gasket 11 and/or seal failure. In some embodiments, the gap widthmay be 0.5 to 2 millimeters or less. While in this embodiment the gasket11 is an o-ring having a durometer of Shore A 90, other arrangements forthe gasket are possible, and higher durometer gaskets may allow for alarger gap between the valve ball 16 and the valve seat 19 or gasketretainer 52.

Another aspect of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 is thatthe depressor 12 of the valve piston 14 may include a rigid, convexcontact surface arranged to contact the valve ball 16. This is incontrast to a contact surface that is flat, concave and/or resilient,e.g., formed by a rubber ball, concave or flat metal surface, or othersimilar element at the end of the depressor 12. By using a rigid, convexcontact surface on the depressor 12 (such as a spherical surface), thedepressor 12 may urge the valve ball 16 to move away from the outletopening 13 in a direction that is at an angle to the direction ofmovement of the depressor 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, thedepressor 12 may move along a line 121 with movement of the piston 14.However, since the depressor 12 and the ball 16 contact each other atspherical or other convex, the depressor 12 may move the ball 16 awayfrom the outlet opening 13 in a direction that is at an angle to theline 121. That is, since the depressor 12 and valve ball 16 contact eachother at convex surfaces, the depressor 12 does not restrain movement ofthe ball 16 in directions transverse to the line 121. As a result, andsince the spring 30 and valve body 50 may permit lateral movement of thevalve ball 16, the valve ball 16 is free to move laterally (in adirection transverse to the line 121) when pushed away from the outletopening 13 by the depressor 12. This is true whether the depressor 12contacts the valve ball 16 at a point where a diameter line of the ball16 is parallel to the line 121 or not. In fact, by positioning the pointof contact of the depressor 12 with the valve ball 16 at a locationwhere a diameter of the ball 16 is parallel to the line 121, wear of thegasket 11 may be more evenly spread to different areas of the gasket 11.That is, if the point of contact between the depressor 12 and the ball16 is positioned away from a diameter line that is parallel to the line121, the ball 16 may be consistently moved in a direction transverse tothe line 121, but may be moved along a same or similar track every timethe valve opens and closes. This may cause the gasket 11 to wear alongthe track faster than other portions of the gasket 11. However, bypositioning the point of contact between the depressor 12 and the ball16 at a diameter line that is parallel to the line 121, the ball 16 maybe moved along different, random tracks, allowing the gasket 11 to wearmore evenly.

As a result of moving the valve ball 16 in a direction transverse to theline 121 away from the outlet opening 13, the ball 16 may move so as tobreak contact with the gasket 11 at one side of the ball 16 before anopposite side of the ball 16 moves away from the gasket 11. This type ofmovement allows the valve to open and/or close more smoothly, reducing achattering or hammering noise that may be caused by the valve quicklyopening and closing while transitioning from open to closed (or viceversa). That is, in arrangements where the ball 16 moves linearly awayfrom the gasket 11, the ball 16 tends to maintain contact with thegasket at a circular area (and thus maintain a seal with the gasket 11)until the ball 16 completely breaks free of the gasket 11. This abruptopening of the valve can allow gas to flow abruptly through the outletopening 13, which tends to bias the piston 14 away from the valve 20. Asa result, the depressor 12 may be moved out of the opening 13, allowingthe ball 16 to again contact the gasket 11 and form a complete seal,closing the valve. This drops the pressure on the inner surface of thepiston 14, allowing the spring 17 to move the piston 14 so the depressor12 again moves the ball 16 to open the valve 20. This rapid cyclingbetween valve open/closed can cause the ball 16 to rapidly move betweenopen and closed positions, creating a chattering or hammering noise.However, by having the ball 16 move away from the gasket 11 in adirection that is transverse to the line 121, the valve 20 may moregradually open, helping to prevent the abrupt pressure changes that maycause the piston to rapidly move between open and closed positions. As aresult, chattering or hammering of the valve may be reduced oreliminated.

In another aspect of the invention, the depressor 12 may include flutesor other flow channels along its length to help reduce resistance toflow through the outlet opening 13. That is, in some embodiments, thedepressor 12 may have a size and shape that is similar to the outletopening 13, e.g., to help reduce a likelihood of the gasket 11 beingextruded through the outlet opening 13 with strong gas flow out of thevalve chamber 5. However, to help reduce flow resistance through theoutlet opening 13, the depressor 12 may include flow channels, such asflutes that run along a length of the depressor 12, to help reduce aresistance to flow out of the outlet opening 13. Other arrangements arepossible, such as holes, depressions or other features in the depressor12.

Another aspect of the invention relates to providing a piercing lancewith a front piercing end that is arranged to help reliably pierce gascylinders while reducing the chance that a flap or other portion of thecylinder closure is formed during the piercing process that prevents orreduces flow from the cylinder. That is, most gas cylinders of the typedescribed above include a relatively thin metal closure (sometimesreferred to as a cap) that is intended to be pierced to open thecylinder. With some lance arrangements, the cylinder closure can bepierced in such a way that a portion of the closure blocks an opening ofthe lance, preventing the exit of gas from the cylinder. In oneillustrative embodiment, a piercing lance may include a tapered portionwith first and second surfaces that define an opening at the distal endof the tapered portion and are arranged to help prevent blockage of theopening by a portion of a cylinder closure. The first and secondsurfaces may each be arranged in respective first and second planes thatare at an angle of 20-35 degrees relative to each other. By having thedistal end of the tapered portion arranged in two different planes, thelance may piece a gas cylinder in a way that helps prevent the formationof a flap or other part that may occlude the opening of the lance. Forexample, the first surface may be arranged in a plane that isperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tapered portion of thelance, while the second surface may be arranged in a plane that istransverse and non-perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, e.g., at anangle of 55-70 degrees to the longitudinal axis. Such an arrangement mayallow the first surface to initially cut an arc in a gas cylinderclosure, while the second surface may function to fold the cut portionof the cylinder closure away from the opening of the lance. This is incontrast to other lance arrangements that have a leading face of thelance arranged in a single plane, whether in a plane that isperpendicular or other angle transverse to a longitudinal axis of thelance. Such arrangements have been found in some circumstances to deformand/or cut the gas cylinder closure so that a flat portion of theclosure is positioned over the opening of the lance. With flow of gasout of the cylinder and into the lance opening, the flat portion of theclosure has been found to cover the opening, blocking flow into theopening. In contrast, arranging the lance as described above to have twoleading faces (or more) that are at an angle to each other may helpavoid this problem, whether by preventing the complete cutting of a partof the cylinder closure and/or providing a non-planar leading face ofthe lance over which a cylinder closure portion may be positioned toblock flow.

FIG. 13 shows an exploded cross sectional view and FIG. 14 shows aperspective view of a lance that incorporates aspects of the inventionmentioned above. The lance 25 in this embodiment includes a body 251with a front piercing end 252, a rear end 253 opposite the frontpiercing end, and a fluid passageway 254 extending between the frontpiercing end and the rear end. The front piercing end 252 includes atapered portion 255 having an opening 256 at a distal end of the taperedportion 255 and a longitudinal axis 257. The opening 256 may have a sizeof about 1-3 mm. The tapered portion 255 has a first surface 258partially defining the opening 256 at the distal end that is arranged ina plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 257 and a second surface259 partially defining the opening 256 at the distal end that isarranged in a plane transverse and not perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis 257. (A plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 257 need notbe exactly 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis 257, but rather may be+/−5 degrees of 90 degrees to the axis.) In one embodiment, the secondsurface may be arranged in a plane that is at an angle of 55-70 degreesto the longitudinal axis 257 (measured as the smallest angle between theplane and the longitudinal axis). A line that extends along a junctionor area where the first and second surfaces 258, 259 meet may passthrough the opening 256. For example, in one embodiment the lineextending along an area where the first and second surfaces meet passesthrough a center of the opening 256, although the line may define achord of the opening 256 that does not pass through the center. Thetapered portion may have an outer surface arranged at an angle to thelongitudinal axis 257 as well, e.g., the outer surface may befrustoconical and arranged at an angle of 10-30 degrees to thelongitudinal axis 257.

The rear end 253 of the lance 25 may include a groove 265 or otherfeature to receive a gasket 264 which is arranged to provide a sealbetween the lance 25 and the valve body 50 when the rear end of thelance 25 is received into the inlet opening 51 of the valve body 50 asshown in FIG. 9. Barbs or other features 266 on the lance body 251 mayengage with the regulator body 4 to help hold the lance 25 in placerelative to the valve body 50 and the regulator body 4. An optionalfilter 263 may be provided in the passageway 254, e.g., to help preventrelatively large particles from entering the valve chamber 5. The filter263 in this embodiment may be a solid, porous body (e.g., made ofstainless steel and having 30 micron pores), but may be arranged inother ways such as a screen, membrane, etc. The filter 263 may be pressfit into the passageway 254 and/or plastically deformed (e.g., by apunch) to help ensure the filter 263 remains firmly in the passageway254.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the outer surface ofthe tapered portion may include a vent channel that extends from thefirst or second surface at the distal end to a proximal end of thetapered portion. For example, FIGS. 13 and 14 show a vent channel 260that is provided in the outer surface of the tapered portion 255. Inthis embodiment, the vent channel 260 may be formed by a tapered millingtool (shown schematically at reference number 1000) although otherarrangements are possible. A vent channel 260 like that shown in FIGS.13 and 14 may provide one or more benefits including: 1) indicating thatpiercing of a gas cylinder has been successful, 2) helping to preventcomplete cutting of a flap or other piece from the gas cylinder closureduring piercing, and/or 3) help provide venting of the gas cylinder ifan attempt is made to remove the cylinder from the regulator 600 priorto complete emptying of the cylinder. The vent channel 260 may indicatesuccessful piercing of a cylinder by allowing for leakage of gas fromthe cylinder through the vent channel 260 before a gasket (such as agasket 41 shown in FIG. 8) creates a seal between a sealing surface 261of the lance 25 and the gas cylinder when the gas cylinder is fullyseated in the receiver opening 24. That is, the tapered surface 255typically provides at least a temporary seal between the lance 25 andthe gas cylinder closure during piercing, but the vent channel 260 mayprovide a leak path that allows gas to leak before a seal is made at thesealing surface 261. This leaking may be temporary and audible to theuser, indicating that the cylinder was successfully pierced (indicatedby the audible leak sound) and that a seal was created by the gasket 41(indicated by the stopping of the audible leak sound). In some cases thevent channel 260 may be provided along the tapered surface 255 from adistal to a proximal end of the tapered surface 255, as well as along astep 262 at the proximal end of the tapered surface 255. The step 262may provide a stop for advancement of the gas cylinder relative to thelance 25, and by providing the vent channel 260 along the step 262 aleak path may be established even if a leading face of the gas cylindercontacts the step 262.

The vent channel 260 may also provide for venting of a gas cylinder ifthe cylinder is removed from the lance 25 and regulator 600 before thecylinder is completely emptied. That is, if a cylinder is only partiallyused, and a user removes a cap or other holder so the cylinder can beremoved from the receiver opening 24, high pressure in the cylinder maycause the cylinder to be pushed off of the lance 25. In this case, thevent channel 260 may provide a leak path for gas as the cap or otherholder is removed, allowing high pressure gas to escape as soon as aseal at the sealing surface 261 is broken. This may alert the user thatthe cylinder is not yet emptied, prompting the user to again tighten thecover 101 or wait for further removal of the cover 101 until thecylinder is fully vented.

To explain how the vent channel 260 may help prevent complete cutting ofa flap or other piece from a gas cylinder closure, FIGS. 15 and 16 showthe lance 25 of FIGS. 13 and 14 piercing a gas cylinder 100. In FIG. 15,the lance 25 has contacted a closure of the gas cylinder 100 so that thefirst surface 258 of the lance 25 has cut an arcuate slot through thecylinder closure and a flap 105 portion of the closure has been formedand pushed downwardly into the cylinder. By having the first surface 258only partially surround the opening 256, the first surface 258 cuts onlyan arcuate slot, not a completely circular opening. Thus, the flap 105is formed, rather than having a complete circular piece cut from theclosure. Also, since the second surface 259 is arranged at an angle tothe first surface 258, the second surface 259 may serve to bend the flap105 downwardly with or without substantial further cutting of the flap105 from remaining portions of the closure. Moreover, the flap 105,which may be formed as a generally flat element, is less likely to blockthe opening 256 because the first and second surfaces 258, 259 arearranged at an angle to each other, preventing the flat flap 105 fromcovering the opening 256. Finally, since the vent channel 260 provides adisruption in the outer edge of the second surface 259, the vent channel260 may help stop any further cutting of the flap 105 that is performedby the second surface 259 with advancement of the cylinder into thereceiver opening 24, and instead encourage to flap 105 to remainattached to the remaining part of the cylinder closure and to bend awayfrom the opening 256.

While a cylinder may be arranged in different ways, FIG. 15 shows anembodiment of a gas cylinder 100 that includes a gasket 104, e.g., ano-ring, captured on a leading face of the gas cylinder 100 by a cap 103that is threadedly engaged with a neck of the cylinder 100. The lance 25may enter an opening of the cap 103 so that the sealing surface 261contacts the gasket 104 and a seal is formed by the gasket 104 betweenthe leading face of the gas cylinder 100 and the sealing surface 261.The cap 103 may serve to not only keep the gasket 104 in place on thecylinder 100, but also to help restrain deformation of the gasket 104when contacted by the lance 25. As discussed above with reference to thegasket retainer 52, by restraining deformation of the gasket 104, thecap 103 may help increase a contact force between the lance sealingsurface 261 and the gasket 104, thereby providing an improved seal. Inthis embodiment, the sealing surface 261, or a gasket-contacting portionof the lance 25, is proximal of the tapered portion 255 and is arrangedto contact the gasket 104 to create a gas-tight seal between the gasketand the lance. The sealing surface 261 includes an annular surfacearranged in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 257 of thelance and a cylindrical surface that extends around the longitudinalaxis 257, although other arrangements are possible.

In another aspect of the invention, the tapered portion 255 or otherparts of the lance 25 that contact metal portions of a gas cylinder 100may have a surface finish that helps reduce friction between the lance25 and the cylinder 100 during piercing. For example, the taperedportion 255 may have a surface finish with an average roughness of 16micro-inches or better. This surface finish has been found to help thelance 25 pierce a gas cylinder with reduced friction, with reducedlikelihood that the gas cylinder will “stick” to the tapered portion255, and with reduced deformation of the cylinder closure at the pointof penetration. That is, a high surface roughness on the tapered portion255 may cause the cylinder closure to “stick” to the tapered portion 255during piercing such that the closure is deformed inwardly rather thanbeing cut. By providing the tapered portion 255 with a suitable surfaceroughness, the cylinder closure is more likely to be cleanly cut duringpenetration rather than being deformed in a way similar to that in somedeep drawing processes, e.g., used to form cans from metal sheets.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications,and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings areby way of example only.

1. A piercing lance for piercing pressurized gas cylinders, comprising:a body having a front piercing end, a rear end opposite the frontpiercing end, and a fluid passageway extending between the frontpiercing end and the rear end, the front piercing end including atapered portion having an opening at a distal end of the tapered portionand a longitudinal axis, the tapered portion having a first surfacepartially defining the opening at the distal end that is arranged in aplane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a second surfacepartially defining the opening at the distal end that is arranged in aplane transverse and not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
 2. Thelance of claim 1, wherein the second surface is arranged in a plane thatis at an angle of 55-70 degrees to the longitudinal axis.
 3. The lanceof claim 1, wherein the second surface is arranged in a plane that is atan angle of 55-60 degrees to the longitudinal axis,
 4. The lance ofclaim 1, wherein the tapered portion has an outer surface arranged at anangle of 10-30 degrees to the longitudinal axis.
 5. The lance of claim1, wherein an outer surface of the tapered portion includes a ventchannel that extends from the first or second surface to a proximal endof the tapered portion.
 6. The lance of claim 1, wherein the fluidpassageway extends along the longitudinal axis.
 7. The lance of claim 1,wherein the body includes a gasket-contacting portion proximal of thetapered portion that is arranged to contact a gasket positioned betweenthe lance and a gas cylinder and create a gas-tight seal between thegasket and the lance.
 8. The lance of claim 7, wherein thegasket-contacting portion includes an annular surface arranged in aplane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
 9. The lance of claim 7,wherein the gasket-contacting portion includes a cylindrical surfacethat extends around the longitudinal axis.
 10. The lance of claim 1,wherein the opening has a size of about 1-3 mm.
 11. The lance of claim1, wherein a line extending along an area where the first and secondsurfaces meet passes through the opening.
 12. The lance of claim 1,wherein a line extending along an area where the first and secondsurfaces meet passes through a center of the opening.
 13. The lance ofclaim 1, wherein the tapered portion has a surface finish with anaverage roughness of about 16 micro-inches.
 14. The lance of claim 1,wherein the tapered portion includes a vent channel that extends fromthe second surface to a proximal end of the tapered portion.
 15. Thelance of claim 14, wherein the vent channel extends radially outwardlyfrom the proximal end of the tapered portion.
 16. A piercing lance forpiercing pressurized gas cylinders, comprising: a body having a frontpiercing end, a rear end opposite the front piercing end, and a fluidpassageway extending between the front piercing end and the rear end,the front piercing end including a tapered portion having an opening ata distal end of the tapered portion and a longitudinal axis, the taperedportion having a first and second surfaces defining the opening at thedistal end, the first and second surfaces each being arranged inrespective first and second planes that are at an angle of 20-35 degreesrelative to each other.
 17. A fluid pressure regulator comprising: afirst stage valve arranged to open and close a fluid flow path tocontrol flow of fluid through the valve, the first stage valveincluding: a first valve body defining a valve chamber having an outletopening and an inlet opening; a first valve gasket arranged in the valvechamber at the outlet opening; a first valve ball movable in the valvechamber to contact the first valve gasket and close the outlet opening;and a gasket retainer in the valve chamber and stationary relative tothe first valve body arranged to hold the first valve gasket at theoutlet opening; a first stage piston arranged for movement to move thefirst valve ball relative to the outlet opening and thereby open andclose the first stage valve, the piston having an inner side and anouter side; and a regulator body defining a piston chamber in which thefirst stage piston is movable and housing the valve chamber.
 18. Theregulator of claim 17, wherein the gasket retainer includes acylindrical shell portion and an inwardly extending flange at a gasketend of the retainer arranged to contact the first valve gasket.
 19. Theregulator of claim 18, wherein the flange has an annular shape andtapers inwardly from the cylindrical shell portion.
 20. The regulator ofclaim 17, wherein the first valve gasket is arranged to deform withcontact with the first valve ball, and the gasket retainer is arrangedin the valve chamber to restrict movement of the gasket due todeformation of the gasket.
 21. The regulator of claim 20, wherein thefirst valve gasket and the gasket retainer are arranged to preventcontact of the first valve ball with the first valve body near theoutlet opening.
 22. The regulator of claim 17, wherein the first stagepiston includes a depressor arranged to move with the first stage pistonand contact the first valve ball to move the first valve ball away fromthe outlet opening.
 23. The regulator of claim 22, wherein the depressorhas a rigid, convex contact surface arranged to contact the first valveball.
 24. The regulator of claim 17, further comprising a first pistonspring arranged to bias the first stage piston to move toward the valvechamber and open the first stage valve.
 25. The regulator of claim 17,further comprising a second valve body defining a second valve chamberhaving an outlet opening and an inlet opening, a second stage valvearranged to open and close the outlet opening, and a second stage pistonarranged for movement to open and close the second stage valve.
 26. Theregulator of claim 25, further comprising a gas delivery conduit havinga proximal end attached to the first stage piston and a distal endextending away from the first stage piston, the gas delivery conduithaving a passage in fluid communication with the inner side of the firststage piston and with the second valve chamber.
 27. The regulator ofclaim 26, wherein the gas delivery conduit is moveable into and out ofthe second valve chamber.
 28. The regulator of claim 27, furthercomprising a seal that engages the gas delivery conduit and allows forsliding movement of the gas delivery conduit relative to the secondvalve chamber.
 29. A fluid pressure regulator comprising: a first stagevalve arranged to open and close a fluid flow path to control flow offluid through the valve, the first stage valve including: a first valvebody defining a valve chamber having an outlet opening and an inletopening; a first valve gasket arranged in the valve chamber at theoutlet opening; and a first valve ball movable in the valve chamber tocontact the first valve gasket and close the outlet opening; a firststage piston arranged for movement to move the first valve ball relativeto the outlet opening and thereby open and close the first stage valve,the piston having an inner side and an outer side; and a molded plasticregulator body defining a piston chamber in which the first stage pistonis movable and housing the valve chamber, wherein the first valve bodyis a metal component positioned in a cavity of the molded plasticregulator body.